In one of the latest issues of D Magazine, there is a story about the widow of Fred Baron, a long-time attorney and adviser in the Dallas area. While it was an interesting interview and profile of Lisa Blue Baron, what her late husband left her with was the most striking part of the story.
Ms. Baron said that she gets through each day by remembering three life lessons that Fred left her with:
- Never make an enemy.
- Never have a reason to be ugly or mean.
- If you have an opportunity to help someone, grab it.
Three great pieces of advice. Never making an enemy is an important one. While many ambitious people steamroller their way to success, they most of the time forget who they are crushing along the way. Being in someone’s good graces (and they in yours) makes negotiation and connecting that much for easy and pleasant.
Being ugly and mean goes back to being polite, A smile reaches people easier than a frown or stern look. People respond to positiveness. Life is too short to be mean or unpleasant to others or in general. Besides, who wants to network with a nasty person?
Helping others is what we are put on this planet to do. If you have, share. Give without expecting to receive and you will get a return of ten fold your gift. Have mom said, “it is better to give than to receive.”
You can read the full text of the D Magazine story here.
Relentless
